BOGOTA: Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was sentenced to 12 years of house arrest on Friday for abuse of process and bribing a public official. The ruling stems from a long-running case involving alleged ties to right-wing paramilitary groups.
Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia delivered the verdict, which also includes a $578,000 fine and an eight-year ban from public office. Uribe, who denies the charges, will appeal the decision. His legal team confirmed he must report to authorities in Rionegro, Antioquia, before serving his sentence at home.
The conviction marks a historic moment as Uribe becomes Colombia’s first ex-president found guilty at trial. The ruling comes less than a year before the 2026 presidential election, where several of his allies are contenders.
U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, criticized the verdict, calling it a “weaponization of Colombia’s judicial branch.” Analysts warn the case could strain U.S.-Colombia relations, possibly affecting aid.
Uribe, 73, maintains the trial is politically motivated. “In my condition as a convict, I respectfully request an appeal,“ he said during the virtual hearing. His defense argues the case aims to silence democratic opposition.
The charges relate to claims Uribe bribed witnesses to discredit allegations of paramilitary links. Leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda gathered testimonies from ex-paramilitaries accusing Uribe of supporting their groups. The Supreme Court later ruled Uribe’s team pressured witnesses, not Cepeda.
Two jailed paramilitaries testified that Uribe’s former lawyer, Diego Cadena, offered bribes for favorable testimony. Cadena denies the accusations.
Uribe, president from 2002 to 2010, previously faced house arrest in 2020. His Democratic Center party remains influential. Despite his conviction, he highlights his record of extraditing paramilitary leaders to the U.S.
Colombia’s truth commission links paramilitary groups to over 205,000 deaths during the civil conflict. Uribe joins other Latin American leaders convicted of crimes, including Peru’s Alberto Fujimori and Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. - Reuters
